The present invention relates to techniques for selectively using a plurality of pre-recorded tone data to generate a tone.
Heretofore, there have been proposed techniques for selectively outputting any one of a plurality of tone data in response to operation of an operator member (e.g., key) of an electronic musical instrument. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2006-106754 (corresponding to European Patent Application Publication No. EP 1646035), for example, discloses a system where is defined in advance correspondence relationship (or mapping) between tone data of individual sections of music pieces and operator members of an electronic musical instrument. Once a user of the disclosed system operates a particular one of the operator members, tone data corresponding to the operated operator member is reproduced.
However, with the technique disclosed in the No. 2006-106754 publication, it is necessary to perform in advance a huge number of processes in order to define relationship between various inputs to the electronic musical instrument and many tone data. Particularly, because a sufficient number of tone data have to be secured in order to diversify tones to be generated in response to operation by the user, the foregoing problem would become very serious.